Gov. Moore Visits Cheverly’s Hospital Hill
Overlooking Washington, D.C., from a tall hill that formerly hosted Prince George’s Hospital Center is the proposed site for a new downtown core for Cheverly, Maryland. On Jan. 24, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) visited Hospital Hill with a major announcement: $7.5 million in state investments, an increase from the previous amount of $5 million.
“This was a time when we had to invest in the big ideas, and the things that could have not just lasting impact, but truly generational, intangible impact in communities,” Moore said. “This is one of these projects. It’s not just about economic development. This is community building.”
The new funding will support ongoing preservation, design, and pre-development efforts to transform the site into a modern, mixed-use community asset to effectively serve as a downtown district for Cheverly and help to grow the suburban town with increased density.
When completed, the Hospital Hill redevelopment project will span 26 acres and more than 1,000 housing units, including 40,000 square feet of retail and entertainment options, a public square and space for a grocery store, a dog park, and a new hotel. For UrbanAtlantic, who is leading the redevelopment project, the goal is to eventually increase access to local transit such as Cheverly Metro station and eventually link the site to regional bike trails.
“We did get a little more than we expected,” said UrbanAtlantic’s Managing Director of Public-Private Partnerships Caroline Kenney after Moore announced the funding increase. “This actually allows us now to go to the private finance markets and say, ‘Hey, there’s clearly the level of public support for this project that’s needed.’”
For more information on the Hospital Hill site, read more here.
Beltsville Emergency Services Temporarily Relocated, Volunteers Remaining
Due to safety and health concerns cited by the Prince George’s County Fire Department, staff are being relocated to neighboring fire stations. The volunteer firefighters, who are remaining at the building, have noted to expect longer response times for emergencies.
Fire Chief Tiffany Green said that she received a complaint from a career firefighter about unsafe working conditions last month.
“One of my primary responsibilities is to ensure the safety of our personnel,” said Green during the public meeting held at the firehouse. “The jobs that our firefighters and paramedics do, both career and volunteer, are very dangerous.”
During that meeting, members of the public expressed shock at the sudden change and expressed concern for the health and safety of the volunteers as well.
“To our knowledge, nothing has changed,” said an anonymous volunteer firefighter during an interview. “We’re still in the building. I believe there would be significant resistance if she tried to relocate the volunteers from the building.”
He cited the building’s problems, including electrical and air quality issues, as fixable and the result of human error.
A review of the building will be conducted over the next several weeks and the building is expected to be up to code by July 1, 2024.
For more information about the Beltsville Volunteer Fire Department, read more here.
Local Groups Step Up to Provide Resources for Unhoused Prince Georgians
Amid dealing with winter’s cold weather, some local groups are spreading resources to help those in need and raising awareness about the prevalence of the unhoused population in Prince George’s.
Andre Gore, executive director of 1441 Incorporated, said that he believes homelessness is a silent issue and one that is getting worse.
His organization distributes food, clothing and other resources every Wednesday at Adelphi’s University Boulevard for the County’s homeless population. Last week, he partnered with the Salvation Army and the Prince George’s County Police Department during their resource event.
“It’s been a serious issue,” he said. “It’s a lot of us out here that are unhoused, or needing services. We’re falling short along the way.”
A 2021 study indicated that Prince George’s had the fourth-highest homelessness rate in the state, and the combined effects of the pandemic, housing costs, and inflation have undoubtedly worsened these statistics.
“Our homeless community has really been struggling. I think everyone knows our high housing costs, as we border D.C.” said County Council member Wanika Fisher (D-District 2) during an aired interview.
